Today, home appliances often have status indicators such as timers, buzzers, lights, and beepers to indicate their status. For example, an oven may have a timer that beeps when the set time is up, indicating that whatever is baking in the oven should be done. A buzzer may go off on a washing machine when a load of laundry is finished washing. A red LED may stay on while a dish washer is still operating. These status indicators are typically only effective in conveying status information to a user if the user is in the vicinity of the appliance. Home appliances are continuously becoming more sophisticated. For example, the ability to connect appliances to a computer-based network is beginning to come about in the industry.
Currently, TV (television) sets are used simply to consume programming information such as audio and video. TV sets typically receive programming information via cable, satellite, or direct RF broadcast. The TV set performs standard TV broadcast channel processing and displays the associated program. A TV set is not typically interfaced to a computer-based network.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.